The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has postponed the recently modified regulation to allow 6 parts per million (ppm) of fluopyram residue in tea due to public apprehension, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said.
Concerns were raised over the FDA’s announcement on Wednesday last week that it would modify standards for pesticide residue limits in foods, of particular concern being the increased maximum levels for fluopyram — a fungicide — in tea from 0ppm to 6ppm.
Lawmakers from several political parties, physicians and non-governmental organizations also questioned the FDA’s decision, with some saying that the 6ppm limit is much higher than that of Australia, Japan and the EU.
After a specialists’ meeting at the FDA on Friday to re-evaluate safe levels for fluopyram residue in tea and dimethomorph residue in lettuce, it announced that it considered the levels to be safe for humans and that they would not cause cancer, and said it would not change its original decision.
However, the FDA issued another press release that evening, stating that it would postpone modifying the fluopyram limit for tea.
In response to media queries for comments, Chen said the modification was pre-announced according to formal procedures, and he respects the conclusion the specialists reached.
However, he said the implementation was postponed because of public concern, potential negative effects on tea exports and a lack of urgency for the change.
As the announcement failed to effectively communicate with the public regarding safety, he said the FDA would discuss how to announce modifications to pesticide residue limits with the Council of Agriculture, such as explaining those that significantly differ from standards in other countries, rather than announcing more than 100 items at once.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS